Childminder

Childminder

Unique reference number (URN): EY538503 Registered with Ofsted: 14/12/2016 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder creates a warm, positive environment, where expectations for behaviour are clear and consistently applied. As a result, children feel safe, secure and confident, responding well to familiar routines. The day is well organised, with routines and transitions managed seamlessly to support children's growing independence and self-help skills. Mealtimes are used well to promote social interaction. The childminder sits with children, encouraging conversation and discussion about healthy choices. Children show positive attitudes, respectful behaviour and a willingness to try new foods. Children wash their hands independently, help tidy resources and use utensils with increasing control.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder focuses on developing children's personal, social and emotional skills. She encourages them to share, take turns and play cooperatively. For example, she teaches children to take turns stacking blocks, they all cheer and clap when the tower is built, before giggling as they knock it down. This promotes their sense of cooperation, kindness and positive social development.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

The childminder recognises regular attendance provides them with consistency and security. Any unexplained absences are followed up swiftly, emphasising the value of consistent attendance. This supports their welfare and ensures that they benefit fully from their experiences in the childminder's care.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder and any assistants who work with her understand the importance of forming secure, warm attachments with children. From the very start, she provides children with the time, attention and reassurance they need. During care routines, such as nappy changing, babies remain relaxed and cooperative because she uses visual prompts and gentle singing to help them feel safe, secure and fully engaged. Her approach to wellbeing is highly personalised and fully inclusive. Adaptations are carefully implemented to ensure that all children, including those facing barriers to learning, receive the support and consistency they need to thrive.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

The childminder structures daily routines to offer consistency and support children's growing independence. Children manage their personal hygiene and serve their own fruit at snack times. Fresh, well-balanced meals are prepared daily, reinforcing children's understanding of healthy eating.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children develop a secure understanding of their feelings throughout the day. The childminder skilfully models and labels emotions during play, using stories and puppets to help children recognise and talk about how they feel. She places strong emphasis on outdoor learning, ensuring children enjoy plenty of fresh air and physical activity each day. Outdoors, children learn how to keep themselves safe by observing the weather and deciding whether they need a coat, hat or sunscreen.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder demonstrates a passionate commitment to inclusion and has a deep understanding of each child's individual needs. This is because the childminder understands the complex and diverse barriers some children face that can negatively impact their learning and development. She uses her observations effectively to tailor the support she provides, including for children with barriers to learning. The childminder works closely with parents and provides them with regular updates about their child's learning and development, including practical strategies to support learning at home. Furthermore, the childminder works with other professionals and attends strategy meetings to monitor the support offered, ensuring it is effective. This helps ensure that all children, including those known (or previously known) to children's social care, receive timely support and make continuous progress.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

The childminder identifies training for herself, and any assistants she works with, that is specific to the children's current needs. This ensures her knowledge is kept up to date and secures her understanding of how to adapt her practice to support children's diverse needs. The childminder has identified how additional funding can be used for the children it is intended for. For example, the childminder provides music sessions that are aimed at promoting children's communication and language.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

All children, including those who face barriers to learning, make steady progress from their starting points and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. They demonstrate a growing vocabulary during play, using their developing communication skills confidently with each other and the childminder. For example, during role play, they use their imagination to 'make tea' as they hand out cups to the childminder and their friends. Occasionally, children's next steps in learning are not effectively incorporated during spontaneous play, to further their progress to the highest level.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Children develop secure independence and self-care skills through consistent daily routines. Older children are learning self-care skills and take pride in helping during routines, such as serving snacks. Babies develop increasing curiosity in their environment and explore with confidence and ease as they play. They crawl towards books, excitedly look at them and turn pages as they explore the different textures and animals they see. Children are developing age- and stage-appropriate knowledge and skills.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The childminder has developed a secure curriculum that covers all areas of learning. She gives high regard to developing children's communication skills. The childminder immerses children in conversation, stories, singing and rhymes. She provides a continuous narrative, adding sounds to maintain children's engagement and support the development of their listening skills and early babbling.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Mathematical language is built into play and incorporated with children's interests. For example, children enjoy comparing the size of dinosaurs and counting small rocks as they use tweezers to collect them. This supports age- and stage-appropriate teaching while keeping expectations high for children. Children's physical development is well planned for. They use many different mark-making resources both inside and out. Children practise grip and hand strength as they use water bottles to spray the marks they make with chalk.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, the childminder's teaching interactions are of high quality, and she often recognises how to extend what children know and can do. Adult-led activities are well planned, with clear learning intentions that meet children's individual needs and next steps. However, interactions during self-chosen play are not always focused on these next steps. As a result, teaching is not consistently sharply focused on supporting children's learning and development to the highest level.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has made improvements since the last inspection and evaluates her practice effectively, ensuring that her curriculum is ambitious and meets children's development needs. However, she does not consistently reflect on daily practice, particularly in making the most of opportunities to extend children's learning further.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder ensures her knowledge stays up to date through regular training and provides ongoing supervision for her assistants, supporting both their ongoing professional development and their wellbeing. Policies and procedures are understood and implemented efficiently, ensuring that children are safe and secure.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The childminder has developed secure and trusting partnerships with parents. She nurtures professional yet friendly relationships that ensure families are consistently well informed about their child's progress and any emerging developmental concerns. She shares activities and resources to support children's learning at home and organises regular family days, welcoming parents into the setting to meet one another and strengthen children's social development. In addition, she maintains an effective working relationship with other professionals and is committed to supporting every child to make progress across all areas of learning. This collaborative approach ensures continuity and high-quality support for each child's care and development.

p.4

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

p.5

Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are happy and confident in the care of the nurturing childminder. The atmosphere is calm and purposeful as children enthusiastically explore a wide range of well-organised resources. Children's individual needs and abilities are sensitively identified and supported. All children, including those who require additional support, settle quickly and approach activities with curiosity and confidence. Children's interests are thoughtfully included in the learning experiences on offer, encouraging them to engage in play. For example, children confidently explore mouldable sand as they use tweezers to pick out the hidden dinosaur bones.

p.5

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children relish learning through play and join in with enthusiasm. They engage in activities that strengthen fine motor skills and develop early mathematical understanding. For example, children explore capacity as they use pipettes to squeeze coloured water into tubes. The childminder introduces language such as 'full' and 'empty', which children confidently repeat as they continue their play.

p.6

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children settle well and build warm and responsive relationships with the childminder and her assistants. Babies benefit from a separate area, helping them to safely explore and practise their physical skills, such as learning to crawl and walk. The childminder works closely with parents to establish flexible sleeping and feeding routines that fully support babies' wellbeing. Children show a sense of belonging and are eager to join in with activities alongside their friends. They confidently follow the daily routine that promotes independence, such as washing their hands before lunch, and cooperative play, such as sharing and turn-taking.

p.6

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children have plentiful opportunities for active play and enjoy daily access to outdoor spaces. The childminder recognises children's natural need for movement and provides a large outdoor area, where they can run, explore freely and develop balance and coordination. She actively promotes consistent attendance and punctuality, working closely with parents to identify and reduce any potential barriers to learning so that every child can make the best possible progress.

p.6

Next steps

The childminder should embed consistently high-quality interactions to make the most of every learning opportunity and extend children's learning even further. The childminder should further develop her curriculum and teaching to consistently match children's next steps during spontaneous learning and ensure that they make the best progress possible.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the childminder, assistants and parents during the inspection.

p.6

About this inspection

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

p.6

About this setting

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

p.7

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.8

Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

p.8

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.8

Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.8

Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.8

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8